Tattoome
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My family and I will be there the first week in June. Thanks to all the good reports about B&B it this thread, we are going to give them a try. By the sound of it, we won't be disappointed.
Maui dive shops
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For south maui, B&B scuba is the best. The best on the island is Pacific Dive in Lahaina. The staff are real people. Artie an Eric will take you wherever you want to go. Molokini, mokoniki, lania, molokai, and south side maui (towards Nu'u bay (Hands down, the BEST DIVING on MAUI)).
Further proof that you really don't know what you're talking about.
Extended Horizons is as much of a cattle barge as B&B. They carry the same number of passengers on a similar sized boat.
Maui Dreams only recently started managing a boat, which is also pretty far removed from cattle barge -- certified for 24, it only takes 18. For all shore diving excursions, they keep a 4:1 diver-to-instructor ratio unless the customer specifically requests it. Not to mention both the shore and boat excursions being tended to with a very personal touch.
Maui Dive Shop only runs one boat large enough to be called a cattle barge -- the Maka Koa, taking upwards of 24 passengers... though their smaller boats are run with the turn-and-burn attitude that could get them into this category.
Just to throw this out there, too: you mentioned sites that are only reachable by boat (e.g. Nu'u Bay, Molokini, Molokai), yet you claim Pacific Dive will take you there. Since Pacific Dive doesn't have a boat (last I checked), whose boat were you on? Molokai is usually only visited by Maui operators a couple times a year -- conditions are too rough for the crossing any other time.
Charlie99
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The best boat for one person isn't necessarily the best boat for everyone.
Maui has lots of good dive ops, but they differ in ways that make them better or worse for particular divers.
Mike Severns are fish nerds. Really, really into marine biology. Smoothly run 12px boat out of Kihei boat ramp. The owner, Pauline, is onboard several days a week, usually as a DM because she loves to dive. This one is my personal favorite, particularly the 3 tank Aloha Friday runs.
B&B is a 12px boat also running out of Kihei. Brad and Blesi also operate a dive shop in the Azeka Makai plaza. Great people. Awesome attitude. I dive with them now and then, but find sometimes they have inexperienced divers and students onboard, which can limit the sites and dive times. For me personally, it's tied for 2nd, but when I'm taking out guests that aren't experienced divers, this is definitely the boat I'd use. Like with Mike Severns, the owners are closely tied into the daily operations --- Brad often as Captain, Blesi usually as DM.
Ed Robinson's -- this is the 2nd or third boat on my list to call. Two boats and more crewmembers, and less frequent involvement of the owner means that these boats no longer have the "family run business" atmosphere of Mike Severns and B&B. They have some trips with special features ---- runs to Lanai from the Kihei boat ramp, 3 tank trips for more experienced divers, and the Wednesday "dive with Ed" trips that are more freeform where they don't mind if you stray away from the DM for a while.
Dive and Sea Maui and Prodiver are 6 pack boats running out of Kihei, if you prefer fewer people onboard. One downside to a 6 pack though, it that unlike the 12px boats where you can have two groups split by experience level, on a 6 pack you all dive together.
Extended Horizons is a good operator that typically goes from Mala Ramp in Lahaina over to Lanai. My preferred operator for Lanai trips. Owner-operated.
Maui Dive Shop and Lahaina Divers are the two big operators on the island, both with multiple boats. Without a lot of daily owner involvement, your experience depends upon the particular crew that day. Lahaina Divers has the advantage of having the largest, most stable dive boats making the sometimes rough crossing to Lanai. Maui Dive Shop has a 1 tank trip that is scheduled for the backwall (Other companies will sometimes take you there, but only the 1 tank backwall trip of MDS specifically schedules it).
Northshore Explorers is a new dive operator, running a 30' RIB to places on the northshore and Molokai that others rarely dive. For the more adventurous divers.
Lots of good dive ops. Everyone should be able to find somebody that matches up with their style of diving.
Charlie Allen
Maui has lots of good dive ops, but they differ in ways that make them better or worse for particular divers.
Mike Severns are fish nerds. Really, really into marine biology. Smoothly run 12px boat out of Kihei boat ramp. The owner, Pauline, is onboard several days a week, usually as a DM because she loves to dive. This one is my personal favorite, particularly the 3 tank Aloha Friday runs.
B&B is a 12px boat also running out of Kihei. Brad and Blesi also operate a dive shop in the Azeka Makai plaza. Great people. Awesome attitude. I dive with them now and then, but find sometimes they have inexperienced divers and students onboard, which can limit the sites and dive times. For me personally, it's tied for 2nd, but when I'm taking out guests that aren't experienced divers, this is definitely the boat I'd use. Like with Mike Severns, the owners are closely tied into the daily operations --- Brad often as Captain, Blesi usually as DM.
Ed Robinson's -- this is the 2nd or third boat on my list to call. Two boats and more crewmembers, and less frequent involvement of the owner means that these boats no longer have the "family run business" atmosphere of Mike Severns and B&B. They have some trips with special features ---- runs to Lanai from the Kihei boat ramp, 3 tank trips for more experienced divers, and the Wednesday "dive with Ed" trips that are more freeform where they don't mind if you stray away from the DM for a while.
Dive and Sea Maui and Prodiver are 6 pack boats running out of Kihei, if you prefer fewer people onboard. One downside to a 6 pack though, it that unlike the 12px boats where you can have two groups split by experience level, on a 6 pack you all dive together.
Extended Horizons is a good operator that typically goes from Mala Ramp in Lahaina over to Lanai. My preferred operator for Lanai trips. Owner-operated.
Maui Dive Shop and Lahaina Divers are the two big operators on the island, both with multiple boats. Without a lot of daily owner involvement, your experience depends upon the particular crew that day. Lahaina Divers has the advantage of having the largest, most stable dive boats making the sometimes rough crossing to Lanai. Maui Dive Shop has a 1 tank trip that is scheduled for the backwall (Other companies will sometimes take you there, but only the 1 tank backwall trip of MDS specifically schedules it).
Northshore Explorers is a new dive operator, running a 30' RIB to places on the northshore and Molokai that others rarely dive. For the more adventurous divers.
Lots of good dive ops. Everyone should be able to find somebody that matches up with their style of diving.
Charlie Allen
Have you checked out Hawaiian Rafting Adventures (aka Dive Maui), Charlie?
Having done Lanai with ERDA, MDS, XH and HRA, I can definitely say that HRA was, by far, the smoothest ride over and second only to XH for dive personnel.
Having done Lanai with ERDA, MDS, XH and HRA, I can definitely say that HRA was, by far, the smoothest ride over and second only to XH for dive personnel.
DiveMaven
Contributor
Actually, Ed Robinsons no longer goes to Lanai, they stopped that trip early in January and replaced it with Ed's "Adventure X" trip geared toward photographers and more adventurous diving.
Even though Lahaina Divers runs big boats with a large number of divers, they are my preferred operator for Lanai now. The crossing can just be too rough for the smaller boats to be comfortable, and those big 46' Newtons have a comfortable ride that cannot be denied. It's definitely a trade off since their diving is more controlled and restricted, so I can totally see why other folks would choose differently.
Even though Lahaina Divers runs big boats with a large number of divers, they are my preferred operator for Lanai now. The crossing can just be too rough for the smaller boats to be comfortable, and those big 46' Newtons have a comfortable ride that cannot be denied. It's definitely a trade off since their diving is more controlled and restricted, so I can totally see why other folks would choose differently.
geraldp
Contributor
I just got back from Kapalua (North of Lahaina) this week. After reading advice on this board I thought I might go with B&B, even though they are down in Kihei. However through email correspondence with them I found they don't go to Lanai, and people here said that the Cathedrals off of Lanai and Molokini crater were the two must-dive sites in Maui. I went over to Maui without an appointment, and ended up going with Maui Divers, as they chartered to both Molokini and Lanai. Maui Divers is hard to miss, as they have 8 or 9 shops up and down the West Coast of Maui. I visited 3 of them during the week.
I was planning a more detailed trip report, but in short I had a great time. My dive guide was good and the food was decent. I still had a 45-50 minute drive down to Maalaea Harbor for a 6:15am check-in, which was a pain. Coming from Pacific Time Zone made that much more palatable.
Maui Dive Shop told me I had to go to Pacific Dive in Lahaina to get my 13 cu. ft. pony bottle filled. I stopped in, but found that they only fill tanks once a day (no exceptions, apparently), and I couldnt get my tank back in time for the next mornings dive. So I went across the street to Lahaina Divers, and they filled it in less than an hour. I really liked Lahaina Divers (friendly folks), but I had already reserved with Maui Dive Shop. I did discover that Lahaina Divers make you go with a 72 cu. ft. tank vs. an 80, which would not have been good for me.
Eventually I stopped in at B&B in Kihei and met Mrs. B. Their shop didnt have as much gear as the other shops, but were very friendly just the same.
Everybody is different and has different needs/wants for a dive charter, but overall Maui Dive did well for me.
Jerry
I was planning a more detailed trip report, but in short I had a great time. My dive guide was good and the food was decent. I still had a 45-50 minute drive down to Maalaea Harbor for a 6:15am check-in, which was a pain. Coming from Pacific Time Zone made that much more palatable.
Maui Dive Shop told me I had to go to Pacific Dive in Lahaina to get my 13 cu. ft. pony bottle filled. I stopped in, but found that they only fill tanks once a day (no exceptions, apparently), and I couldnt get my tank back in time for the next mornings dive. So I went across the street to Lahaina Divers, and they filled it in less than an hour. I really liked Lahaina Divers (friendly folks), but I had already reserved with Maui Dive Shop. I did discover that Lahaina Divers make you go with a 72 cu. ft. tank vs. an 80, which would not have been good for me.
Eventually I stopped in at B&B in Kihei and met Mrs. B. Their shop didnt have as much gear as the other shops, but were very friendly just the same.
Everybody is different and has different needs/wants for a dive charter, but overall Maui Dive did well for me.
Jerry
Maui Divers is a $30 million annual Black Coral jewelry company, and is the reason there is almost no Black Coral shallower than 300' in Maui County. They are hard to miss as they have 11 Maui locations in all the major shopping areas and the Airport.
Maui Dive Shop is the largest diving company in the Hawaiian Islands, with 9 store locations. They used to have the most dive/snorkel boats in Maui waters, but the snorkel boat sank at Molokini last year, doing considerable damage to the coral, and lost it's permits to operate in Molokini (year suspension{?} and $550K fine).
Charlie's review of MDS is kindly honest (vs brutally honest).
Charlie99
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I haven't been out on Hawaiian Rafting Adventures for at least 4 years. Since I bought a condo on the Kihei side in 2004, I haven't done W. Maui dive trips very often.
I found their rigid hull inflatable a much rougher ride and didn't like to have to partially degear before reboarding after a dive. That Extended Horizons boat has a head and Hawaiian Rafting didn't was another downside to HR. At that time they also had one really good captain and one whose moods changed dramatically from trip to trip.
I kind of vaguely remember some ownership changes, so all of the above may very well have changed -- probably when they started using the name "Dive Maui" in addition to Hawaiian Rafting.
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I have about a month left in Maui and will try to take a ride on a couple W. Maui dive ops, as well as the Kihei based Makena Coast Divers 6 pack. I also plan on making the trek over to Maalea to take a trip on Maui Diamond II now that it is being run by the same people that run Maui Dreams Dive Shop.
It's a rough job, but somebody's gotta do it.
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